Farrukh-Zad (

Full name A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that ...

: ''Jamal ad-Dawlah Abu Shuja Farrukh-Zad''), was

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

of the

Ghaznavid Empire The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic peoples, Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus ...

from (1053 – 4 April 1059). His reign was considered one of benevolence, prosperity and tranquility for the Ghaznavid empire. It was free of the chaotic turbulence and greed from palace ghulams until the end of his reign. He was a very devout

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and fasted during

Rajab Rajab () is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The lexical definition of the classical Arabic verb ''rajaba'' is "to respect", which could also mean "be awe or be in fear", of which Rajab is a derivative. This month is regarded as one ...

Sha'ban Shaʽban ( ') is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is called the month of 'separation', as the word means 'to disperse' or 'to separate' because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water. The fifteenth night of this month ...

and

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

Biography

Having been at the fortress of Barghund, Farrukh-Zad was one of the Ghaznavid princes that escaped the usurper

Toghrul Toghrul ( ''Tooril han''; ), also known as Wang Khan or Ong Khan ( ''Wan han''; ; died 1203), was a Khan (title), khan of the Keraites. He was the blood brother (anda (Mongol), anda) of the Mongol chief Yesugei and served as an important early ...

's massacre in 1052. Farrukh employed Abd al-Razzaq Maymandi, a former vizier of Maudud and Abd Rashid, but later had him dismissed and imprisoned. He also freed Abul-Fazl Bayhaqi from his imprisonment and it was during Farrukh's reign that Bayhaqi wrote his ''Mujalladat'' ( Tarikh-e Beyhaqi). Following the chaos of Toghrul's usurpation, Chagri Beg sent a Seljuq army to take Ghazni, but the ghulam general Khirghiz intercepted and defeated it. Meanwhile, in 1053, the

Ghaznavid The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus to the Indus Va ...

governors of the eastern Indian garrisons in

Malerkotla Malerkotla is a city and the district headquarters of Malerkotla district in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It served as the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj. The state acceded to the Dominion of India, un ...

Jalandhar Jalandhar () is a city in the state of Punjab, India, Punjab in India. With a considerable population, it ranks as the List of cities in Punjab and Chandigarh by population, third most-populous city in the state and is the largest city in the ...

, and

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

began to rebel. Around 1058, Farrukh had his army invade

Tukharistan Tokharistan (formed from "Tokhara" and the suffix ''-stan'' meaning "place of" in Persian) is a historical name used by Islamic sources in the early Middle Ages to refer to the area which was known as Bactria in Ancient Greek sources. By the 6 ...

in hopes of removing the

Seljuks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persian culture. The founder of th ...

. His army was initially successful, capturing the Seljuq ''Atabeg'' Qutb ad-Din Kul-Sarigh. However, Alp Arslan counter-attacked and defeated the Ghaznavid army, capturing many of its commanders. A subsequent peace treaty, drawn up by Abul-Fazl Bayhaqi, allowed for an exchange of prisoners and a mutual non-aggression pact.

Death

In 1058, palace ghulams attempted to assassinate Farrukh in his bath, but he grabbed a sword and held them at bay until his guards arrived and killed the ghulams. Depressed and sickened by the attempt on his life, Farrukh-Zad withdrew from worldly affairs and died of

colitis Colitis is swelling or inflammation Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and ...

on 4 April 1059 at the age of thirty-four.C.E. Bosworth, ''The Later Ghaznavids'', 49. He was succeeded by his brother Ibrahim.

References

Sources

* * {{Ghaznavid sultans 1059 deaths Ghaznavid sultans 11th-century monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown